Horse Racing: Tartak leaves it late before snatching win at Cheltenham

Carole's Legacy, the 7-2 favourite for the Grade 3 chase, looked set to give trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Barry Geraghty a treble on the day after besting Mahogany Blaze up the Cheltenham hill, but Paddy Brennan on the Tom George-trained Tartak had been biding his time round the 2m 5f circuit and pounced wide and late for a stirring win. Mahogany Blaze hung on for third place at 25-1.

The ups and downs of jumps racing were never better illustrated than in the previous two races. Father-and-son team Colin and Joe Tizzard suffered the loss through a broken leg of popular steeplechaser Joe Lively in the Raceodds handicap chase before Joe Tizzard steered home his father's charge Hell's Bay for a courageous success at 16-1 in the Grade 2 Tigmi Travel Dipper Novices Chase.

Medermit, ridden by Robert Thornton and trained by Scots-born Alan King, looked to be coming to win the race when Hell's Bay almost demolished the final fence, but Tizzard stayed aboard and his mount battled home bravely to win at odds of 16-1.

Earlier in the Cheltenham & Three Counties Club Hurdle, another contender for the Champion Hurdle emerged in the shape of Oscar Whisky, comfortable winner for Henderson and Geraghty.

He was immediately given a quote of no more than 12-1 by some bookmakers for hurdling's biggest race in March.

The pairing had previously won the opening Neptune Investment Management Hurdle with Bob's Worth, the 3-1 favourite, who completed a hat-trick and looks an outstanding recruit to the jumps game.

Trainer David Pipe achieved the rare feat of filling the first three places in a race when Ashkazar, the mount of Timmy Murphy, was followed home by Junior and Chartreux in the skybet.com handicap hurdle.

The closing bumper saw Paddy Brennan earn his double aboard Roger Charlton's Keys, who was notching a hat-trick of wins in NH Flat races.

There will be an 8am inspection of the course to determine whether racing can go ahead at Ayr today.